The present invention is directed to a method and means for progressively forming and joining hems at the bottoms of trouser legs and the like.
In the production of a typical pair of denim jeans, for example, it is conventional to form a so-called "large hem" at the raw cut bottom edge of each leg. A portion of the large hem is then turned under, to form a small hem, which is captured between the remainder of the large hem and the wall of the trouser leg.
In the production of denim jeans, the hemming of the legs typically is one of the last operations to be performed, and it is customarily performed with the jeans in a "right-side-out" orientation. This requires that the large hem be folded inside of the trouser leg. Thereafter, a small hem is folded inside of the large hem, to lie between the large hem and the wall of the pant leg. Heretofore, the operation of folding the large hem has had to be performed manually, which creates very significant problems. Apart from the obvious labor-intensive aspect, the performance of the large hem fold, internally of the pant leg, is a blind operation, depending upon the finger skill and dexterity of the operator. There is a resulting lack of uniformity in the folding operation. Although facilities are known and available for automatically performing the subsequent small hem fold, the small hem fold cannot be performed properly if the large hem is not formed with a reasonable degree of uniformity. As will be appreciated, a defective hem on an otherwise finished garment can result in a costly reject. Additionally, the unusual manipulative steps required of the operator tend to result in a high level of problems with so-called carpel tunnel syndrome.
It is accordingly one of the significant objectives of this invention to provide a novel and improved apparatus and technique for automatically forming an in-turned large hem on a trouser leg, minimizing operator manipulations and providing a high level of uniformity and repeatability.
In the production of denim jeans, and especially "stone-washed" jeans, the raw edge of the unhemmed pant leg is of greatly reduced strength and durability. Thus, it is desired that the small hem be much deeper than normal, to avoid the likelihood of the raw edge of the small hem pulling out from the sewn hem. Accordingly, a further objective of the present invention is the provision of a hem-forming method and apparatus capable of forming a full depth small hem such that the raw edge of the small hem is seated substantially at the fold line of the large hem. This provides a maximum margin of the raw fabric edge beyond the sewing line of the hem, assuring a hem of maximum strength and durability.
Yet another objective of the invention is the provision of novel and highly efficient facilities for handling of trousers during hem-forming and sewing operations. After loading of a trouser onto the handling apparatus, the trouser is automatically moved to a position in front of the sewing machine to enable the hemming operations to be carried out successively on the two legs of the trouser. Thereafter, the completed trouser is shifted away and a new one brought in to position. The arrangement is such as to optimize the efficiency and utilization of the associated hem forming and sewing equipment, and potentially enabling a single operator to handle more than one station.
For a more complete understanding of the above and other features and advantages of the invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention and to the accompanying drawings.